Season Finales: When to Pull the Plug

After a highly anticipated two years, it has finally arrived: Sex Education season four, the series finale. Two years have given viewers a plentitude of time to ponder plot points, garner excitement for new character developments, and foresee a bittersweet ending at Moordale. After its release, the question of viewer satisfaction is one to be discussed. The question that follows is: when should a TV series just end? 

As season four took the longest to come out compared to other seasons, I allowed myself to get my hopes up for what could be their best season. I patiently awaited its release and when it finally hit my Netflix home screen, I was more than ready to be transported into the tragicomic life of Otis, Maeve, Eric, Ruby, and other beloved characters. Immediately, I was ripped out of that reminiscent feeling, for the highly acquainted setting of Moordale secondary was no longer. Forgetting how season three ended with students being told they must retrieve their education elsewhere, we now find ourselves at “Cavendish College”. Already, feelings of unfamiliarity were arising, for the once strict and realistic world of Moordale now showcased an almost unbelievably accepting and open school run by students. Nonetheless, I was still excited to see how familiar characters adapted to this new backdrop. To my regrettable surprise, many of those familiar faces never actually showed face again. Characters we had grown fond of and followed through significant developmental journeys have now been substituted by unfamiliar counterparts, some of whom we may struggle to get to know or love, especially considering, after all, it is the final season. Looking at the season four cast, the show has brought on seven new significant characters, giving us little room to simply close out stories and finish learning about characters we have known since the beginning. We are now bombarded with new characters and their struggle with identity, sex, and love. This is why if you have not gotten around to watching season four yet, you probably have no idea who is on the cover photo of this article. These are all new and leading characters. In turn, many of these stories felt rushed and surface-level, although they were attempting to deal with substantial issues. By trying to tackle a multitude of struggles, the show does itself a disservice, for in-depth depictions of these struggles will never be portrayed correctly.

With characters going through an expansive set of issues including gender, sexuality, disability, sexual assault, abusive relationships, religion, and mental health, only to name a few, the focus on each of these many times felt shallow. While representing all types of identities is applaudable, its attempt to represent all of them well was not as notable. Repeatedly, characters would mention a struggle they were dealing with and reactions from other characters usually went something like, “I'm sorry that must be really hard for you.” This in turn minimizes the problem and makes it feel like identity struggles can be alleviated by a singular sex therapy session. In my personal opinion, the show bit off more than it could chew and spent more time trying to represent issues (not in-depth) in replacement of continuing to develop plotlines. Representation can still be present without trying to tackle all the issues that come with it, especially if there isn't extensive effort going into getting to the root of it. One of the first characteristics of the show that acquainted me with it was its effortless portrayal of different individualities going through the typical awkward motions of coming-of-age. Now with the addition of characters who seem present just to serve as a talking point, we lose focus of what the show is all about. 

Most discourse I have seen circulating about the show revolves around the disappointment in the development of Otis and Maeve's relationship, something that has been teased since season one. With season three ending with a mutual feeling towards each other, audiences were left excited for what would come to fruition in season four. In reality, we spent most of the season watching the couple fight long-distance style as Maeve was now studying abroad in America. When they finally had the opportunity to be together, the relationship proved itself ephemeral, as they ultimately called it quits and decided to focus on themselves. When a show spends three seasons hyping up a plotline, giving fans hope for its development, it is obvious that disappointment will transpire when they instead spend more time focusing on new characters who feel somewhat irrelevant to the show as a whole. Other plotlines in turn felt unnecessary such as Eric finding new friends and leaving Otis behind, Jackson being fearful that he has cancer (all to find out that he in fact does not), Aimee and Isaac getting together, and the sexual struggles that new characters Roman and Abbi go through as a couple. These felt random and unnecessary and took valuable time away from storylines that have been building since the series' inception. 

Storylines that I thought transpired well was the development of Adam Groff's relationship with his father, something that has been a continuous battle since season one, Aimee's newfound love for art as a way to cope with her sexual assault, and Eric's struggle with the church and finding a way to merge his queerness with his beliefs. These are all examples of issues that have been brought to our attention throughout the show and do not feel like they appeared out of thin air like other plotlines. With these storylines being wrapped up neatly we can leave the show satisfied that these beloved characters have found a sense of peace in whatever journey they've been on. 

So now the awaited question: when should a show just end? Personally, Sex Education is a prime example of a show that could've done what it needed to do in three seasons. Season four proved to be a filler, with their desperate grasp for extra characters to take screen time, and random addition of extraneous plotlines. In a final season, viewers are looking for familiar themes and faces to bring them to a happy close, not a whole new cast, setting, and genre. As much as I’d like to be immersed in the Sex Education world forever, I’d rather say a bittersweet goodbye and feel satisfied with the ending of these characters whom I have admired for so long. Shows that continue past their capacity oftentimes lose their uniqueness and fondness. If we really want to offer new themes and new characters, let's just make a whole new show, not invade what we already have.